The old village chief's chest heaved, a surge of rage burning within him.
They shot up in a flash.
He waved his hand at the crowd behind him and roared.
"Beat them back! Damn it, just four little bastards, daring to chase after us! Do they think Zhangjia Village is made of mud?"
The group was already seething with anger, and when they heard the old village chief speak, they immediately took out bullets from their pockets and loaded them into the guns.
"Bang bang bang!"
The roar of the shotguns rang out one after another, making people's eardrums ache.
Despite the dense gunfire, hunting rifles are notoriously inaccurate. At a distance of a hundred meters or so, the bullets flew wildly but didn't manage to graze Wang Jin and his men even a hair.
Wang Jin and his group were also taken aback by this sudden counterattack.
"Those bastards from Zhangjia Village actually dared to fight back!"
Wang Hongzhao subconsciously shrank his neck, cursing inwardly. They've chased him this far, and they still won't let him fire?
There are at least nine hunting rifles in Zhangjia Village, and the ammunition is also quite plentiful.
In Wangcun, Wang Jin only had one gun, and very few bullets.
Gunshots rang out incessantly, like popping beans.
Wang Hongzhao and the others lay motionless in the ditch, not daring to lift their heads.
Li Yongheng's voice rang out at the opportune moment, filled with sarcasm.
"Wang Village bastards, where did all that swagger go? What's wrong? Now you're hiding like a coward? Not even daring to stick your head out?"
Wang Jin was so angry his teeth itched, but he only dared to hurl insults at her from afar.
"You bastard from Zhangjia Village, come out and fight me one-on-one if you dare! What kind of skill is it to bully the few with the many? I'll give you a handicap, and I'll still beat you to death!"
He was met with even more intense gunfire.
"Go!" Seeing that he had subdued the enemy, the old village chief decisively waved his hand, signaling everyone to retreat back to the village.
The gunfire had stopped for a while before Wang Hongzhao cautiously peeked out, looked around, and, seeing no one, breathed a sigh of relief. "They're gone!"
Once Wang Jin heard that the person had left, his courage returned.
He crawled out of the ditch and cursed loudly in the direction of Zhangjia Village, "You bastards from Zhangjia Village, you just wait, this isn't over!"
Wang Hongzhao shook his head helplessly, "Let's go back to the village!"
Twenty minutes later, the old village chief and his group returned to Zhangjia Village, covered in mud and exhausted.
Seeing their disheveled appearance, the villagers swarmed around them, bombarding them with questions about what had happened.
Zhang Jucai, seething with anger, cursed and shouted out the whole story.
"Damn it! Those bastards from Wang Village secretly cut down hundreds of our fruit trees. When we came to ask for an explanation, they dared to shoot and chase us?"
"This is outrageous! How can we tolerate this?"
The villagers instantly erupted in anger, their eyes turning red with rage.
Regardless of age or gender, everyone turned and ran home, grabbing hoes and carrying poles, and some even pulled out rusty kitchen knives, shouting that they were going to Wang Village to seek revenge.
The old village chief, with a stern face, repeatedly shouted to stop them, but to little avail.
Several elderly people who had lived through that special era even stepped forward, leaning on their canes.
"Little Gui, our Zhangjia Village has never produced a coward in generations! Back when the Japanese devils came to the village, your grandfather was the first to charge in with a big knife! You mustn't disgrace your grandfather's reputation!"
"If we don't fight back when someone is shitting on our necks, how will we face our ancestors when we die?"
Even Li Xingshan, the most senior member of the village, wore a stern face, his voice hoarse yet carrying an undeniable authority.
"This matter cannot be left unresolved!"
The old village chief, Zhang Xiangui, had a bitter expression on his face. He had no temper whatsoever with this group of "living ancestors."
Li Xingshan slammed his cane heavily on the ground. "Agui, make arrangements. There's a meeting at the ancestral hall tonight!"
"Alright!" Zhang Xiangui agreed. This matter definitely needs a meeting to properly discuss the procedures.
More than half an hour later, a completely different scene unfolded on the open space behind Zhangjia Village.
Dozens of elderly women, holding yellow paper, candles, incense, and some freshly hunted pheasants and rabbits, knelt devoutly before a large, mottled tiger with a limp and somewhat dazed look, chanting incantations.
"Mountain Goddess, please open your eyes and bless our village!"
"By the Mountain King, punish those damned wicked bastards..."
The large, striped tiger seemed to be used to this scene, remaining unmoved as it tore into a piece of bloody roe deer meat and swallowed it in large gulps.
Night fell.
Inside and outside the ancestral hall in Zhangjia Village, torches were lit, illuminating the area as bright as day.
The ancestral hall was packed with people.
Apart from those who were truly bedridden, everyone in the village who could breathe came.
The eight most senior elders, all with white hair and beards, sat solemnly in a row on the grand chairs in front of the ancestral hall.
The old village chief, Zhang Xiangui, scanned the crowd, his voice heavy.
"You all probably know why I called everyone here tonight. Wang Village has gone too far; we can't swallow this! Now, let's all discuss what we should do about this!"
"Village chief, what else can we do? Fight back! We must fight back!"
A burly man suddenly stood up, his arm veins bulging.
"That's right! They did something wrong, and not only did they refuse to admit it, they even dared to chase after us with guns! If we don't teach them a lesson, then everyone will be able to trample on our Zhangjia Village!"
In the crowd, someone muttered, "A fight is definitely going to happen, but ultimately, isn't this all because of Er Gouzi..."
Before he could finish speaking, someone next to him suddenly shoved him.
"What nonsense are you spouting! Saying things like that at a time like this? Trying to start a fight among yourselves? I'll fight you to the death!"
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